Tankersley says Clemson is perfect place for him

Tankersley said the Clemson coaching staff projects him as a corner or safety at Clemson.

CLEMSON – Cordrea TankersleyCordrea TankersleyAthlete6-2, 195Aiken, SCView Full Profile made the decision to commit to Clemson late Wednesday, and he said the decision set off a party at his house.

Now, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney wants to talk to the recruit again Friday night just to make sure the party is still going on.

The 6-1, 190-pound defensive back chose the Tigers over offers from South Carolina, Miami and Minnesota, and he said he called secondary coach Charlie Harbison to break him the news.

“I called Coach Cheese and he told me to call Coach Swinney to make it official,” Tankersley told TigerNet. “I called Coach Swinney, and he was very excited. He asked me if there was a party going on here, and I told him there was. Now, he wants me to call them back tonight just to make sure I am still having fun and still having a party.”

Tankersley said he wanted to go ahead and get the decision out of the way so he could concentrate on helping lead Silver Bluff High School to a South Carolina state championship.

“I wanted to go ahead and do this so I could concentrate on Silver Bluff, and preparing myself and my team for the season,” he said. “We want to win a state championship. Doing this now only helps me prepare for football, helps me maintain my grades and keep my focus on Clemson.”

He described Clemson as the “perfect” place for him.
“I wanted a place that I could play football and win, and I believe they are building a championship program at Clemson,” he said. “I also wanted to go somewhere with good academics. I knew Clemson was the place for me all along. That was in my mind, but I wanted to give other schools the opportunity. But I knew I wasn’t going to find a better place so I went ahead and got this over with.”

Tankersley even has an idea about his field of study at Clemson.

“I really love the academic programs there,” he said. “I am looking forward to getting up there and trying some of the engineering classes. I have been interested in that since my 9th-grade year, when I did some hands-on work with an engineer and also took an electronics class. I got good grades, so I want to give it a try.”

Harbison is his recruiter of record, but will also be his position coach when Tankersley arrives on campus, and he said the coaching staff was another reason he decided to commit.

“I love the coaching staff,” he said. “They are not only like coaches, they are like family. They are people you can talk to all the time. They are like friends. I am sure it will be somewhat different when I get there, but I know they will still show me the love and they will be there when you need them.”

As a junior, the speedster [he runs a 4.4 second 40-yard dash] helped Silver Bluff to a 10-2 mark,with 1,520 yards rushing and 21 touchdowns. He also passed for 873 yards and three scores as a dual-threat quarterback out of his team's spread attack.